Confidence in Asia because of the People

Dialogue with Reinhold Johann,

General Manager, Pan Pacific Tianjin.

By Michelle Port

With over 25 years experience in the hospitality industry, this month we spoke to Reinhold Johann, General Manager of the Pan Pacific Tianjin since its opening just over one year ago. Mr. Johann's insights into the global hospitality market cannot be understated, as he has global hotel management experience spanning several destinations - from Europe and Africa to the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. We sought his musings on his humble beginnings and passion for culinary experiences, as well as his views on the luxury hotel market in Tianjin and beyond.

Can you tell us more about your previous work experience, and how you ended up here in Tianjin?

I was born into the hospitality industry. My parents used to run a small hotel with a restaurant and a few rooms in a small village. From a young age, I was always fascinated with cooking and creating, so I started my career as a chef. I took an apprenticeship in Germany at the age of 16. So, coming from a small village background, I got a taste for wanting to see the world. Later I had the opportunity to move to Switzerland and continue my career as a chef. After this I worked at The Dorchester in London, which was the first time I lived in a big city. At that time, I really enjoyed city life, but I wanted to continue exploring my culinary journey. I wanted to go to France since French cuisine is very highly rated. I was able to transfer from The Dorchester to a two-Michellin star restaurant in France. From there onwards, I wanted to explore beyond Europe so I moved to Saudi Arabia which was a challenging but fascinating experience for me. So, exploration has always driven me, even up to today. I have since had the opportunity to work on a cruise liner, as well as a range of hotels and resorts, seeing countries all over the world from the USA to South America, Yemen to Vietnam. I am currently working in my fifteenth country.

You began your career in the hospitality industry as a commis chef, and later a food and beverage manager at various hotels and resorts. How has your previous interest in quality culinary experiences made an impact on the offerings you provide customers at Pan Pacific Tianjin?

One of the problems I have is that my heart still lies in food. My staff often say that I pay too much attention to the food and beverage aspect and I need to find a balance. But I believe that a good hotel balances out with a strong culinary offering. Providing professional hotel services is one thing, but to provide a high-level culinary offering is a step up again.

At Pan Pacific, we put a lot of emphasis on breakfast. From my point of view, as it is the first meal of the day, it must be a refreshing experience. People tend to eat their preferred breakfast items, so we must provide high quality food for whatever you want to choose -- from Asian to Japanese to European -- it all has to be there. You must also give people the opportunity to explore something else, so we do our best to provide a variety in our breakfast buffet.

For our buffet dinner, we change the theme every three months. We also have a very interesting concept at our Noodle Bar. It serves different types of noodles from all over the world, from Japanese and Italian to Singaporean. Again this provides variety -- if you would like a good solid meal, perhaps the Noodle Bar is the best choice for you.

At the Lobby Bar, we provide afternoon tea in a very simple environment. This menu also changes seasonally. On Saturdays and Wednesdays, we provide special offers which are very popular with our customers. So overall, we aim to provide a widely spread culinary offering to cater to the needs of our customers, as well as to appeal to those looking to host events.

Could you tell us more about what else Pan Pacific Tianjin specifically has to offer potential customers?

For me, service is the skeleton to your whole hotel empire. You can have rich chandeliers and marble floors, but if you do not have good service, the whole customer experience will fall apart. We put a lot of emphasis on training our staff and even bringing external people in to educate them. We believe in providing high quality service. Service is the key, without which you would lose the confidence of the customer.

Another thing we do is ensure we always meet our high quality benchmark for service. We have external companies come in and rate us. We have a very good ranking on Tripadvisor. We get a mystery shopper at least twice a year and have always received good scores. These are the kinds of processes we go through to ensure our benchmarks are met and we monitor this on a regular basis.

Amongst our 319 rooms, we have a large variety which can also cater for long-stay clients in one of our 30 serviced suites. On the executive floor, you can have an upgraded experience or a room with a range of views of the city. The products we offer are, therefore, very ranged to suit the individual needs of each customer.

What are your thoughts on the luxury hotel and serviced suites market in Tianjin?

From my time working in Tianjin, I have seen an enormous amount of development. There is also a sense of competition that exists from long established international hotels, as well as local hotel brands and niche markets. Many consider Tianjin a secondary city, but I see it is in the process of transforming into a primary city. From the size of the city, and the number of different hotels in the market, this sector is very competitive which gives customers a good choice. With this competitiveness, you must find your niche to survive. It is a challenge that all hotels in Tianjin must face, but it is also something that makes us very strong in order to survive in this kind of business. I think the hotel market in Tianjin has developed enormously in recent years and it will continue to do so. It is good for the hotel business because it means no one can rest on their laurels. It is not enough to just deliver good service -- you must also deliver the 'wow' factor and aim to exceed expectations.

What makes Pan Pacific Tianjin stand out from other luxury premium hotels in the city? Why should customers choose your hotel over others?

First of all, our location - we are not in the congested business district, but we are close to it. We are well connected to the main transport hubs such as the railway system and the main highway. We are also very close to the main Tianjin attractions, so location is certainly one of our strong points.

We may not be the glamorous hotel that you might find somewhere else, but we are very chic and simple in style, and I think this finds its niche in Tianjin. With our range and variety in terms of culinary and room product offerings, we think we can provide the place where you want to be.

There are Pan Pacific Hotel properties in other Chinese cities such as Suzhou, Xiamen and Ningbo, making China one of the biggest markets for the Pan Pacific Group. How do you plan to elevate and strengthen the Pan Pacific brand in China?

We are now focusing on secondary cities which are very important for us. We put a lot of focus on the fact that we are new with our fleet of hotels. The one in Suzhou is better established and is going through some renovations this year. We also have some more hotels under development in other places so the Pan Pacific portfolio will grow. In Europe, there are plans to establish the brand in places like London, and to become stronger in other markets.

To do this, we give much more focus on the brand messaging of delivering "refreshing experiences", and you will feel that in many areas - from when you enter the hotel lobby area to other key touch points. The aim is to try and get customers a lot closer to the brand. The marketing teams are working very hard towards this and we seek to further establish ourselves with more promotions and inviting communities to the hotels to let them get to know the brand. In strong markets, such as Singapore, where our name is well established.

You have been working in the hospitality industry for over 25 years and have managed hotels all over the world. What made you so interested in focusing on this continent in particular?

I believe that Asia is the future. The number of people you have here, and how dynamic China is in particular, is like something you will not see anywhere else in the world. Of course, you have all the side effects such as air pollution and traffic jams, but the pace here is moving fast. What you say will be done and this is not something I have experienced in any other area.

Another reason I feel confident in Asia is because of the people. They have a kind of approach which you do not find in any other countries in the world. People are helpful and friendly. Combined with the dynamic development you see happening in China, there is a great future for the country.

What are the main changes to the global hospitality industry you have seen and experienced over this time?

We are the fastest growing industry and, as such, it is very interesting. We are becoming more established. If you compare the old grand hotels in Europe and some of the newer and smaller hotels with China, the market here is amazing with the different types of hotels and niches that are getting occupied. That makes it a learning curve for the future in other areas. How you are innovating with different types of hotels, running hotels with out-of-the-box thinking - it's fascinating to have such a vision.

What is the key to managing a successful hotel team, to deliver high quality service for your customers?

You must establish a base with very solid training. Then you must give very clear guidelines and leadership. Your team must know their goals and standards.

You must also measure these standards so that everyone is clear on what you want and expect. For this, you must display instructions with great transparency. These are the keys to running your team successfully.

You have a strong background in successfully managing the pre-opening operations of a hotel launch. What are some of the challenges you faced when first managing a newly established site in Tianjin and how did you overcome them?

Hotel openings are like a puzzle. There are thousands of pieces which you must piece together but you do not know if your entire puzzle is complete. The main challenge is that you must deliver on a set date because there are so many stakeholders involved - from government licensors to staff who must be trained. This whole puzzle must be brought together on time and delivered well up to the moment the first customer walks through the door. You can see on their feedback form whether the system works. You must keep in mind that the operation is not a one-man show - it involved the entire team. As a general manager, you must remember to align both the internal and external teams to deliver for the expectations of stakeholders.

What is the future for the luxury serviced apartment and hospitality industry in China or Tianjin? Can you talk a little more about any current trends or new developments you see arising in this sector?

I believe the market in China is well established but that more niches will form. Perhaps, in future, there will be hotel properties which will cater only for long-stay clients with a bigger residential component. I also think that the market will change even more than before. Of course service must always be there, but as a result, associates costs are rising. In the future, the industry may find other methods to carry out service. For example, there may be more of a self-service check-in style in the three- or four-star hotels market. This is not to say that automation will take over. Certainly in the luxury market, face-to-face personal service is, and always will be, essential, but I think that the market will develop to provide customers with more choice.

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